‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Editor Responds to Oscar Criticism

John Ottman, who won an Oscar for his editing work on Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, has admitted he hated the scene that’s been used as an example of why he shouldn’t have received the award.

The most successful music biopic of all time won four Academy Awards last month. However, the Best Editing gong drew particular criticism, with many social media posts pointing out that one sequence – in which the band meet future manager John Reid – includes more than 60 cuts in less than two minutes, generating a sensation of dizziness for some viewers.

In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Ottman said he didn't know about the backlash but that he’d love to rework the scene in question. He explained it had required significant last-minute adjustment after director Dexter Fletcher took over from Bryan Singer toward the end of production. One of the reasons was that, as a result of test screenings, the story had been rewritten and the dialogue in the scene as shot no longer made sense.

“Oh my God! Wow. I didn’t know about that, but know why that’s out there,” Ottman said. “Whenever I see [the scene] I want to put a bag over my head. Because that’s not my aesthetic. If there’s even an extended version of the film where I can put a couple of scenes back, I will recut that scene!”

Speculation that a Bohemian Rhapsody sequel was under discussion circulated recently, but producer Graham King rejected the idea. Star Rami Malek was recently connected with the role of the villain in the next James Bond movie.